Road Trip
by Qweb
Summary: A collection of stories about Steve taking a motorcycle trip across the U.S. after the events of "The Avengers." Set in the "A Very Good Team" universe.
1. Road Trip

_A/N: I still haven't finished Enemies List, my post-CA: TWS story, but here's something to tide you over. Road Trip is a Very Good Team story mean to be occasional vignettes of Steve's post-Avengers jaunt across the U.S. I have four ideas in mind, but only two written because, you know, Cap2 happened and stole my muse. But these are individual stories, no TBC, so when they get done, they get done._

* * *

**Road Trip**

Steve Rogers felt free.

For the first time since he woke up in a false hospital room, he felt he might be able to make a new life in this Flash Gordon future. Maybe it helped that now he had a common reference with the rest of humanity. The alien attack had turned the world upside down, and this time Steve had turned with it.

It also helped that he had become part of the Avengers. For all their differences, their shared experience gave them common ground. They might be only battle comrades at the moment, but he thought they could become friends.

At least they knew who he was, where he came from and why he seemed so backwards sometimes.

Steve joined the circle around the two Asgardians. Thor gave a nod of respect to the other Avengers, then vanished in a stream of light.

"Just like Star Trek," Barton murmured.

Steve added another cultural reference to his mental catalog of things to look up when he had time.

Tony came over with his hand outstretched.

"Captain, it's been real. Let's do it again sometime but — you know — without the invasion from outer space."

"But that was the best part," Steve joked, clasping Tony's hand in a warm, firm grip.

"You've got the phone I sent you, right?"

Steve patted the inside breast pocket of his leather jacket by way of response.

"Good," Tony said. "Fury can't track it. Even if you call him direct, Jarvis can block him off," Tony assured him.

"But you can track me," Steve said. It wasn't a question.

"Busy man, Cap. Not going to be looking over your shoulder every minute, but if something happens, someone will know where you are."

Steve had to admit it was reassuring.

"You think something will happen?" Steve asked.

"It's a big country and — well — you're Captain America. Heck, according to my dad's stories, you were a trouble-prone guy even before the serum."

Steve laughed and admitted it was true. "Thanks, Tony. It's nice to know someone is looking out for me," Steve said sincerely.

Tony looked embarrassed to be considered thoughtful. "Yeah, well, my dad looked for you for 50 years. It would be a shame to let you get lost again."

Tony escaped back to his car where Bruce was waiting.

Calling his goodbyes, Steve rode away on his motorcycle, smiling all the way.

He didn't get very far.

* * *

A horn beeped. Barton's car came up next to him. He called, "Hey, Cap, pull over for a minute. I forgot to give you something."

Steve waved and pulled into the deserted parking lot of an industrial complex. Hawkeye steered his car to a space beside Cap's motorcycle.

Steve didn't know what the SHIELD agents wanted, but he had to settle one thing first. When Clint and Natasha approached carrying sacks, Steve stuck out his hand to Hawkeye.

"Hi. I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Steve Rogers."

At first, Clint looked at him as if he'd gone nuts, but then the penny dropped. Out of uniform, the soldier was Steve, not Cap. Clint shook the Super Soldier's hand.

"Hi," Clint replied. "I'm Clint Barton. Nice to meet you, finally. Do you know my friend, Natasha Romanoff?"

Natasha rolled her eyes at the byplay, but gripped Steve's hand.

"Miss Romanoff," Steve said politely.

"After all we've been through, I think you should call me Natasha, captain."

"I think you both should call me Steve," Steve countered. "What do you have for me?" he asked, nodding at the bags.

"Fury said you were taking off for awhile?"

"It sounded like an order," Steve said drily. "Fury said, 'Get out of town. Let the Security Council cool down. Let the public forget your face so all they have to remember you by are their blurry cellphone videos. Now get out of my sight. Get out of everyone's sight.'"

Clint was laughing by the time Steve finished and even Natasha cracked a smile.

"That sounds like Fury," Clint admitted. "He said just about the same thing to us."

"So I decided to see more of the country I represent. I've never had the ability to go anywhere I wanted," he said a little shyly. He had been sickly and poor and then he had been in the army where all his travel had been in the service of his country.

If anyone would understand the pleasure of aimless travel, it was Clint and Natasha. Neither had gone on a vacation until they had become SHIELD employees. Before that, all their travel had been "for business." Circus performances, assassinations — you know, "business."

"Fury wanted you to have this," Natasha said, pulling out a full-face, all black motorcycle helmet with a dark visor.

"I really don't need this," Steve said, as he took it.

"It's the law," Clint answered. "And you don't want to set a bad example for the kiddies," he added piously.

"Besides, it's good concealment for someone who'd supposed to stay out of everyone's sight," Natasha said.

Steve tried it on. It was more comfortable than he expected. He took it off and tucked it under one arm.

"Thanks, I wouldn't want to get a ticket."

"Fury also sent this." Clint handed over a blue denim drawstring sack, like you'd used for laundry. The question on Steve's lips died when he took the sack. He knew the shape and heft of his shield, even in a sack. Bulgy padding around it seemed to be stiff cloth.

"The uniform?" Steve asked. "I thought SHIELD was keeping it."

"Fury decided it would be better to keep it out of the hands of the WSC," Natasha said. "He thought you would be a better caretaker."

"That means, don't leave it lying around," Clint said sternly. He imagined the 1940s was a more trusting time. He didn't want Steve to get ripped off. He told Steve to keep his gear with him or locked up and never, ever leave it strapped on the bike. Steve solemnly promised to be paranoid.

They shook hands and wished each other well. The agents were about to leave, when Steve remembered something.

"Clint, what Fury said … Can cellphones film movies?"

"Sure, and still photos, too."

"Let me show you," Natasha offered. She and Clint gave Steve a quick lesson on his Starkphone's camera capabilities and a couple of other things they thought would be useful. They programmed in their personal numbers, the ones they hadn't given to SHIELD because Fury wanted them off the grid, too.

Natasha admired the sleek, easy to use phone. "Stark give you this?" Natasha asked.

Steve agreed. "He said no one can track them."

"Except him," Natasha pointed out.

Steve shrugged. "Gotta trust someone."

Trust didn't come easily to the agents, but first Clint then Natasha nodded.

You couldn't trust Stark to not snoop in your business. You couldn't trust him to not mock you with ridiculous nicknames. But could trust him to watch your back without a doubt.

"In Avengers we trust," Clint said.

"All others pay cash," Natasha said dryly.


	2. Ice Cream and Wedding Cake Boats

_A/N: Road Trip tells about Steve's adventures when he takes a motorcycle trip across America after the events of The Avengers._

* * *

**Ice Cream and Wedding Cake Boats**

Steve Rogers sat on the grassy bank of the Mississippi River sketching the lazy curve of the river as it disappeared around a bend.

"Look out!" a chorus of young voices squealed.

Steve sensed something rushing toward his head. He brought up his hand, responding quicker than thought, and caught the ball in one hand before he even turned his head.

Four anxious kids and one mortified mother approached quickly.

Steve studied the missile curiously. It was about the size of a soccer ball, but translucent red and filled with something that seemed to slosh a bit when it moved.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," the mother exclaimed.

"Billy, you might have hit the man in the face," the oldest girl chided her younger brother.

"Worse, you might have kicked the ice cream into the river," the next oldest girl said practically.

"Susan!" their mother exclaimed. "The man's head is much more important than ice cream. Apologize, please."

The girl did so with a put-upon expression, because she'd only told the truth by her lights. Steve accepted the apology with solemn politeness that earned the child's appreciation.

"Ice cream?" Steve asked curiously. He politely came to his feet holding the ball.

"Yes, it's a Play and Freeze ice cream ball," the woman explained. "You put ice and salt in one side and ice cream mix in the other, then you roll it around and you get ice cream. It's like an ice cream maker, except instead of turning a crank the kids burn up their excess energy chasing a ball around."

"Sounds like a good idea," Steve said with a laugh.

While the woman explained, Steve turned the ball back and forth to study it, then spun it on one finger like he'd seen a basketball player do on TV.

"That'll make really good ice cream," said the youngest boy in admiration. He had been hiding behind his mother up until then, but the spinning ball fascinated him. "We're making ice cream to go with the wedding cake boat."

"The wedding cake boat?" Steve was once again puzzled, which seemed to be his natural state in 2012.

"The riverboat," explained the mom, who introduced herself as Marlene, her oldest daughter as Emma and her youngest as Josh. "Josh thought my brother's wedding cake looks like the American Queen, so now he calls it the wedding cake boat."

"It's supposed to come by today," Emma said. "So we came to watch."

"And to wave," Billy reminded her.

"And we brought ice cream," Susie added.

"We could share," Josh said shyly, with a glance at his mother.

She hesitated. After all, the man was a total stranger. Steve apologized for his poor manners and introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Rogers," Marlene said.

Billy eyed Steve skeptically. "He doesn't look like Mr. Rogers."

"Not that Mr. Rogers. There are lots of people named 'Rogers,'" Emma said, rolling his eyes. "Billy loves 'Mr. Rogers Neighborhood'," she explained.

Steve was getting used to the whoosh of cultural references flying over his head.

"If it helps, I'm actually Captain Rogers," Steve offered, showing his (SHIELD-forged) military ID. "I'm on leave at the moment. Thought I'd see a little bit of the country."

Marlene decided the stranger probably wasn't going to cause her family any trouble in a public park in the middle of the day. She reiterated her children's offer to join them for ice cream. "It doesn't make a lot, but everyone gets a few bites. Of course, no one will get any if the ice cream doesn't freeze," their mother hinted broadly.

The three oldest kids snatched the ball away and began chasing it around the small park, being more careful to keep it away from the river. Josh started after, but then paused and shyly asked Steve if he wanted to play, too.

"Sounds like fun," Steve agreed. "Hold onto this for me, ma'am?" he handed Marlene his sketchbook. "I wouldn't want it to blow away."

While they played, Marlene kept one eye on the kids and one on the river. A plume of steam appeared above the trees. "Here it comes," she called.

The kids grabbed the ball and came to the water's edge, along with a few other people in the park. Steve saw the tips of black smokestacks, then the majestic riverboat rounded the bend, the bright red rear paddle thrashing against the current. It did look like a wedding cake, Steve thought. White arches and columns lining the stacked up decks.

People in the park began to wave. People on the riverboat waved back. Everyone was smiling.

It seemed so pure and innocent in this strange new world of technology, where people texted to each other while sitting at the same table. These people waved because they knew it would make another person happy, and it made them happy to do it.

Grinning broadly, Steve stepped back and took a few cellphone pictures of the family waving with the steamboat in the background. It was a scene he wanted to remember, so he could sketch it, maybe even paint it some day.

Then a teenage girl on the riverboat caught his attention. She was taking a photo of him taking a photo. Their eyes met, then Steve waved and she waved back and her little brother bounced up and down waving frantically at Josh who waved back just as enthusiastically.

The riverboat blasted a whistle in greeting, then continued splendidly up the river leaving a trail of calliope music in its foamy wake.

Marlene laughed as her kids continued to wave until the last corner of the boat had disappeared from view. "Simple pleasures," she said, as she began to decant the ice cream from the ball.

"Wedding cake boats and ice cream," Steve said.

"Ice cream!" the kids squealed joyously.

And everybody smiled.

* * *

_A/N: I have an idea for three more Road Trip stories, but this is the only chapter written. Next week I promise I will post the first chapter of Enemies List, which takes place during and after the time covered by Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I don't have all the chapters written, but I'm almost done with the last one. Then after I get all the post-Cap2 stories done, maybe I can get back to Road Trip._


	3. The Roadhouse

**The Roadhouse**

The weather was fair. The sun was bright, but a cool wind blew among the trees that lined the rural road. Steve Rogers rode on his Harley. His helmet was dutifully on, but the face piece was open to catch the air.

He cruised, simply enjoying the passing scenery and hardly noticing the passing time. But, eventually, his stomach began to growl and he realized he had ridden straight through lunch. He stopped by the road for a protein bar and an apple, then set out again looking for a place to eat a late lunch.

But hopes of a late lunch soon became craving for an early dinner, as he realized how far off the main road he'd drifted. The miles passed and he found nothing but woods and then pastures.

Steve shook his head at himself for not paying attention. What kind of military leader was he, anyway?

He paused by the side of the road and consulted his roadmap, helped by a few curious cows attracted by his presence. The cows hung their heads over the fence, seeming to try to help the traveler read his map. It almost made Steve feel guilty that he really wanted a hamburger right now.

"So if I'm right here," he said to the cows, pointing at the map. "Then all I have to do is continue on this road and I'll get to this town before dark."

The cows nodded their heads wisely. Steve solemnly thanked them for their help and rode on.

* * *

Turned out, he didn't have to go as far as the town. Just as sunset painted the sky in deep pink and pale purple, Steve came to a crossroads where a roadhouse stood inviting passersby to try "the best burgers in the county."

That sounded good to Steve.

Besides, there were a dozen motorcycles lined up in the parking lot. That had to be a good sign — right?

* * *

Faithful to his promise to Clint, Steve carried his helmet, backpack and shield-concealing laundry bag into the roadhouse.

Into danger.

* * *

There should have been lookouts to intercept any intruders at the door, but the two who had been assigned that duty were still arguing with their leader about being left out of the fun.

The roadhouse dining room was decorated like a hunting lodge with wood paneled walls, a polished wooden floor and a peaked ceiling with open beams. There were booths along the side walls. Two sets of two long tables were parallel to the door with an aisle between them that led to a well-stocked bar lining the back wall.

Two burly bikers with scraggly beards and black leather jackets were harassing the owner behind the bar. One pulled a cork out of a bottle of Chablis with his nicotine stained teeth, slugged down a couple of swallows and made a face. "Don't you have any decent booze in this place?" he growled, and poured the rest of the bottle over the owner's bald head.

His friend laughed and began smashing wine bottles, setting the "manly" hard liquor aside for the gang.

Four bikers had a family trapped in a booth. One held a knife to the throat of the father, who was already handicapped by having his right arm in a cast. The other three pawed at the wife and her two daughters. The mother tried to protect the weeping 13-year-old who was sitting next to her. The 16-year-old gritted her teeth and tried to smile flirtatiously, anything to keep the evilly grinning men from hurting her family.

One man had a waitress backed against a long table. The older woman, the owner's wife, must have been setting the tables family style, because there was a tray with a stack of plates and a bin of silverware. The biker was smashing plates right in front of her face. He took two of the heavy ceramic plates and crashed them together. Ceramic splinters flew and the woman flinched back, raising one arm to defend against the shrapnel. She had small cuts all over her arm, neck and left cheek.

The rest of the rowdy crowd were enjoying the racket they made, smashing glassware and plates and wall decorations while they ate any food they found and drank out of any container that held liquid.

The wine-soaked owner was the only one facing the door when Steve entered. His eyes widened and he gave a quick headshake, warning the newcomer to flee while he had a chance. But it was already too late.

The bikers turned as one to face the door, like a starving wolf pack scenting new prey.

That feral focus would have rightfully frightened most sensible men. Bucky Barnes could have told them, Steve Rogers had never been that sensible.

Steve's head came up in proud defiance. He dropped his helmet and backpack beneath a bench and loosened the neck of the drawstring bag that held his shield.

Steve Rogers was not a predator. He was the herd master, the bull bison who protects the herd.

And he wasn't afraid of wolves.

He gave the bikers a feral grin that set them aback long enough for him to step forward to the man harassing the owner's wife.

"That's not how you break plates," Steve chided. With one hand, he took the two heavy ceramic plates from the shocked biker's unresisting hands. Steve placed his other hand on the astonished biker's bare chest and shoved. The man backpedaled frantically, trying to stay on his feet, but momentum overcame him and he sat down hard, still sliding across the room until he ended up in a heap against the wall.

Steve then flicked his powerful wrist once, twice.

The plates screamed across the room. One hit the shoulder of the knife-wielding biker, knocking him away from the handicapped father. The sturdy plate didn't break, but rebounded a foot to smash the face of the biker pawing the 16-year-old.

The second plate hit the head of the biker who had just begun to grab up the 13-year-old as a shield. He dropped before he could complete the thought. The plate, still intact, landed on the table, whirling into position in front of the mother. She took her cue and grabbed it before it stopped spinning. Using two hands, she battered at the face of the man holding her, while her one-handed husband grabbed his attacker by his long greasy hair and slammed his head repeatedly into the table until the man was as unconscious as his three companions.

Steve tsked at himself. "Looks like I misspoke. That was the way to break heads, not plates," he said to the biker leader who had started toward him, but paused because of the astonishing attack.

The head biker stared. Five men were down and five potential hostages had been rescued in less than a minute. But the biker leader was no coward. He firmed his jaw and sneered at the intruder. "Throwing plates. Who do you think you are, Captain America?"

Steve's lip curled in a derisive smile that didn't reach his cold blue eyes.

"As a matter of fact, yes," he answered and pulled his shield from the bag.

* * *

Steve slammed his shield forward, into the leader, flattening his nose and sending him tumbling head over heels across the tables. Before he came to a halt, Steve threw his shield on a rebounding, ricocheting course through the dining room that flattened two bikers, hit a table, wall and ceiling and scythed down on two more vandals.

At the same time, Steve vaulted up on a table, leaped to grab a ceiling beam then swung over to the bar. He took two quick strides and threw himself down, sliding feet first along the bar in a classic baseball takedown slide, broken glass and waves of wine spraying everywhere. Powerful kicks from his booted feet cleared away both of the men who had assaulted the owner.

Steve rolled off the bar, landing on his feet opposite the owner. The Avenger raised his hand and caught his shield as if it had a homing instinct. He held the pose momentarily, looking for another target, but the family, the owner and his wife were the only ones left standing. They had been left breathless by Cap's whirlwind attack, then the wife clapped her hands to her cheeks and squawked.

"The kitchen!"

Steve's eyes shot left and he saw a wide-eyed bearded face looking through the window in the swinging kitchen door.

"Got it," he said. "Tie these guys up," he ordered, then he hit the swinging door at full speed.

It slammed back so hard it was jarred from its hinges. The man who had been looking through the window was flattened against the wall and a second biker was sent flying by the door's wild swing.

The men in the outer room had never had a chance to grab their pistols and shotguns, but the bikers in the kitchen had been warned by the peeper. And they were in a room full of weapons and hostages.

The five men still standing were scattered around the room. Two were behind the service island with the two cooks held at knifepoint. A young, caramel-haired waitress hid behind a flimsy metal cart, out of danger for the moment. Two burly bikers stood with shotguns ready while the last man had a macho blue-steel revolver aimed at the door.

When Steve crashed through the door, the pistol man fired as rapidly as he could. Steve ducked behind his shield and pressed forward. Bullets ricocheted around the room. One pinged off the steel serving cart, making the waitress yelp.

Steve took more care to angle the shield to the side, so the next bullet hit one of the shotgun men in the shoulder. Unable to hold the gun, he dropped it and fell to an awkward seat on the floor, clutching his wound.

The other shotgun man fired. Reflected pellets went everywhere, peppering walls and banging off pots and pans. One of the hostage cooks cried out, as a stray pellet tore his earlobe.

Enough of that, Steve thought. He grabbed the handle of a pot on the stove, ignoring the pain as it seared his hand. He slung the pot at the man with the shotgun. A cascade of boiling water and overcooked green beans hit the gunman in face and chest, followed by the stainless steel pan that smacked him right in the chin. He fell, screaming at the scalding pain.

Steve jumped, one foot on the stove, avoiding the burners and grabbed the overhead pan carousel with his burned hand. He kicked off and the rack spun, pans clattering. The revolving rack carried Steve in a rapid circle, letting him kick the two knife men away from the cooks. He dropped in front of the last biker standing. The man tried to bring his revolver to bear, but Steve's fist lashed out, straight to the chin.

All the bikers were incapacitated and the cooks were quickly tying their hands with kitchen twine — except the scalded man who was huddled in a ball, sobbing.

"Is there anyone else?" Steve asked.

The young waitress peeked out into the dining room. Everything was under control there.

"No. I don't think so, Cap," she said. "No one went out the back door for sure."

The owner's wife had come in when the crashing, banging noises ceased. She counted the fallen bikers. "That's all of them," she confirmed and added. "My husband called 9-1-1."

"Good," Steve replied. He went back to the dining room and saw that all the bikers had been restrained. Sirens could be heard approaching rapidly.

Steve sat heavily on a bar stool, breathing heavily. All that action after a long day and no food finally caught up to him. He was tired.

"Thank you, Cap. Thank you for saving us." The owner, George, grabbed Steve's hand and shook it in enthusiastic gratitude, then dropped it as if he'd been burned when Steve winced.

His wife, Charlene, snatched the hand and saw the red, blistered burn. She exclaimed in alarm.

"Don't worry, ma'am," Steve said. "I heal really fast."

When the police and paramedics arrived, Charlene told them Steve needed to be checked because he was hurt, but Steve insisted they check the civilians and the badly wounded bikers first. When everyone was checked out, all the statements were taken and the bikers had been transported to the county jail or the hospital, the Bickford family came to thank Steve for the rescue. The girls kissed his cheek as shyly as he accepted the kisses.

Finally, only one paramedic remained to treat Steve's hand, where the burn was already showing signs of healing. He wrapped it in gauze to keep the wound clean while it healed.

"Have you got tweezers?" Steve quietly asked the man, who said he did.

Steve shifted sideways and pulled apart two holes in his pants, just above his knee.

"Couldn't quite block all the shotgun pellets," he said dryly. "And if we don't pull them out, the skin will heal over them."

The paramedic saw the holes were already scabbing over. "I'm going to have to cut," the man said. "Let me get an anesthetic."

"No point. They don't work on me. Just work fast," Steve said.

The paramedic used a scalpel to widen the wound and fished out the pellets with long-nosed tweezers. He felt Steve's leg muscles twitch involuntarily, but the man's face never changed until the second pellet was withdrawn. Steve smiled. "That feels better. Thanks."

The paramedic suggested stitches, but Steve said a butterfly bandage would do. "Trust me, I have lots of experience," he said with a grin.

Soon only Steve and the roadhouse staff were left. The restaurant people chattered among themselves, but gradually noticed their hero looked a little wilted, slumped on a barstool.

"Cap? Can we do anything for you?" George asked.

"Maybe one of those award-winning burgers?" Steve answered with a weak smile.

George combed his fingers across his bare scalp. "We can't use the kitchen until we clean it. There's blood and bullets everywhere."

"I'm sorry," Steve said and meant it.

"No, it's not your fault," Charlene said strongly, as she scrubbed wine and footprints off the bar top. "It's those biker bastards' fault."

"But we still can't use it until it's sanitary," George said.

"I've got it," said Hao, one of the cooks. He ran out the back door behind the bar.

"Ah, the grill," realized Jake, the other cook. Pressing one hand to his bandaged ear, he went to the kitchen and got meat from the refrigerator and hamburger buns. Fortunately, the heavy industrial fridge had withstood all the gunshots.

"Excuse me, captain, I think your phone is ringing." The waitress had light brown hair that reminded Steve of caramel. Her name, appropriately, was Candy. She was pointing at Steve's backpack. Now that he was listening, he could hear faint music coming from it. The girl gladly fetched the phone for the weary superhero. It had stopped ringing, but Steve knew which button to push to call his friend back.

"Hi, Tony. What's up?"

"That's my question, Rogers," Tony said sternly. "Jarvis says your location corresponds to a 9-1-1 call about a pitched battle with a biker gang."

"I thought you were too busy to spy on me?" Steve joked.

"I'm not spying, just keeping an eye on a stranger in a strange land."

"That's the Bible, right? Exodus, I think." Steve was pleased to identify a quote.

"I thought it was Heinlein, but whatever," Tony replied. "Why do you sound so tired? You're like the Energizer Bunny, you usually keep going and going."

So much for identifying quotes, Steve thought with a sigh. "I'm just tired. It's been a long day, Tony, that's all. And I missed lunch" — he looked at the clock on the phone — "and dinner, apparently."

"Hey!" Tony was alarmed, remembering that wounded Cap had needed to eat after the Battle of Manhattan. "Don't pass out on me Rogers! Put the phone on speaker. Let me talk to the people you rescued." Which proved Jarvis had hacked into the county sheriff's department's initial report.

Steve pushed the speaker button and set the phone on the now gleaming bar top. "You're on speaker. Happy?"

"Yo, rescuees, are you listening to me?" Tony demanded.

"Yes sir," George answered. He and Charlene leaned closer to the phone.

"Is Cap all right? Did he get hurt?" Steve gestured no, but Charlene told Tony about the burned hand and the two shotgun pellets.

"And he looks whipped," Candy ventured. "I mean, really, really tired."

"It's nothing, Tony," Steve insisted.

"It's not nothing. Don't make me put on the suit and come out there, Rogers," Tony warned.

"You're not old enough to be my father, Stark," Steve replied.

The roadhouse staff looked at each other with eyes wide. Tony … Stark!

"Listen, rescuees," Tony said. "Do not let that man fall asleep until he's eaten."

"We're cooking him a burger right now," Charlene said.

"Make it three," Tony ordered. Candy flew to the back door to tell Jake and Hao. Fortunately, they'd put on enough patties to feed the whole staff. They added two more to the propane grill.

"And find him vegetables, if you can. He actually eats them," Tony added.

Charlene immediately went to the refrigerator to pull out salad ingredients and condiments for the burgers.

"Anything else, Mr. Stark?" George said respectfully.

"Just take care of the old man. We need him back here in one piece," Tony answered honestly.

"Yes sir. He can sleep in our guestroom overnight — we live just out back. It's the least we can do."

"You done arranging my life, Tony?" Steve asked around a mouthful of lettuce and cucumber.

"Ha! Wait until you get back to New York and Pepper starts on you. Then you'll see arranging!"

"Thanks for caring enough to call, Tony," Steve said honestly. It's not like he had any friends left to worry about him.

"Yeah, well…" Tony sounded almost embarrassed to be caught kindhearted. "Somebody's got to look after the old folks. Night, Steve."

"Bye, Tony."

Steve turned off the phone and realized the others were staring at him.

"Was that really Tony Stark?" Candy asked breathlessly.

"The bossy billionaire," Steve confirmed.

"Wow," George said in awe. Then the cooks brought in the burgers and everyone was too busy eating to think about anything else.

* * *

In the morning, Steve showed his hosts that his wounds were entirely healed, just a slight discoloration remained in the palm of his hand. His pants, however, were ruined.

George and Charlene fixed him a big breakfast in their personal kitchen, then escorted their hero to his motorcycle. As he was about to leave, a van pulled up. It said, "Disaster and Crime Scene Clean Up" on the side. The crew said Tony Stark had paid for their services.

"He's a lot nicer than he wants people to believe," Steve told the overwhelmed couple.

The driver of the van tapped Steve on the shoulder and held out a box. "Mr. Stark also shipped this to our office to give to you, sir."

Inside were two pairs of pants. Steve shook his head and stowed the gift in his backpack. "Nicer than you'd think," he reiterated. With a wave of his hand, Steve Rogers drove off to continue his roadtrip.

* * *

_A/N: This is the only action story of the Road Trip stories in my head. And, in case you missed it, on Thursday I posted two chapters of a new story: Bucky Remembers._


	4. Only Eight Minutes

**Only Eight Minutes**

Out of innate politeness, Steve Rogers tuned his Harley so it was as quiet as it could be, but it still sounded disrespectfully loud when he pulled into the parking lot for the scenic overlook on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

To the city boy, it seemed amazingly peaceful when dawn was just beginning to lighten the sky. When he silenced his machine, the only sounds came from the rustle of wind in the bushes and a few sleepy chirps from awakening birds.

Steve was glad he seemed to be the only human around, or he would have felt obliged to apologize for his bike.

Steve took his sketchpad from his saddlebags and found a good vantage point. He arranged his pencils and colored pastels within easy reach, then fixed his gaze on the light beginning to outline the North Rim.

The light brightened and the shadows moved, then faded. Steve sketched quickly, flipping pages as the perspective changed. Orange light flowed down the canyon walls, bringing new buttes into view like castles lifted into the air by magic.

Each minute the view changed and Steve sketched quick bare outlines that he hoped to fill in later. When the colors became more visible, Steve switched to pastels, shading bands of orange and pink, purple and tan, making an almost abstract design just to capture the vibrant colors.

The sun rose above the canyon and the light settled eventually — too soon and yet just at the right time, when even a Super Soldier's fingers began cramping. Steve closed his sketchpad, careful not to smudge any of the drawings, then sat back, rubbing his fingers, eyes still on the view.

"You were really working it," commented a cheerful voice from his right.

A hiker stood there, tall, thin, with shaggy dark hair and twinkling brown eyes with an Asian slant to them. "Mark Yang," he said, holding out his hand.

"Steve Rogers." Yang's grip was gentle, considerate of the hard working fingers. "I had to get the colors while I could," Steve continued. "They change so fast. Now I can sit back and just admire it."

"How long have you been here?" Yang asked, leaning on his gnarled walking stick.

"Since before dawn."

"Then you beat the record," Yang said.

"Record?"

"The tour guides say people only look at the canyon for about eight minutes," Yang said. "You must throw the average off a lot."

"Eight minutes." Steve shook his head in disbelief, his eyes drawn irresistibly back to the view.

Yang eyed the muscular soldier up and down. "Are you just here to draw? We've got a group making the hike down to the river tomorrow. It's a two-day trek. Seven miles by trail."

Steve was intrigued. "I'm a city kid. I do a lot of running, but I don't have a lot of hiking experience," he warned. Did military marches through the Alps count? He wondered.

"We have a couple of experts with us," Yang reassured him.

"OK," Steve agreed. "What do I need to bring?"

They began to discuss the equipment Steve needed.

While they talked, the overlook began to fill up. It was still early, not yet 8 a.m., but a few hikers were passing on the rim trail. A tour bus had pulled up. Passengers emerged, following the tour guide over toward the unfenced edge while he described the geologic features they were seeing. A few kids quickly became bored and began a game of tag, chasing each other around.

Steve watched them idly, automatically calculating trajectories. Suddenly he bolted toward the rim, leaving the hiker speechless behind him.

One boy cut left, just as his foot came down in a puddle. The wet stone was slippery and his feet flew out from under him. He kicked the leg of a teenager who was leaning far to her right, trying to take a selfie with the canyon in the background. Already off balance, she fell. Shrieking, she clawed at the child for balance, sending them both tumbling out of control down a steep, slick incline toward the drop-off.

Super soldier muscles launched Steve across the rock. He threw himself down and caught two wrists just as two pairs of feet slipped over the rim. But they were all still sliding. Steve dug his toes and his elbows into the ground to slow their skid, then hooked a foot around a bush. They came to a halt with both frightened tourists looking up and Steve looking past them at the Colorado River a mile straight down. Steve's powerful hands firmly gripped the wrists of the woman and boy, but he didn't know how he could get them up.

Then he felt hands on him all around.

"We've got you," Yang reassured.

"Can you hold them?" the tour guide asked anxiously.

"I have them," Steve said surely. "Pull me back."

People caught Steve by his belt and his ankles and began sliding him backwards, while other hands reached for the boy and girl. Soon they were all safe, with everyone several yards from the edge, chattering in a release of adrenalin.

Someone handed Steve a bottle of water and he was glad to gulp down most of it in two or three swallows. He studied his scraped elbows and knees, which were already healing. He quickly hid his fast-disappearing wounds when Yang plopped down beside him.

"Still want to go on that hike?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yeah," Steve answered. "I think I'd like to see the bottom of the canyon — the easy way."


	5. End of the Road

_A/N: I thought about extending this, but it didn't want to work and it took away from the "road trip" idea, so this is the last planned chapter, as Steve reaches California._

* * *

**End of the Road**

The Red Skull and Hydra couldn't defeat Captain America. Loki and the Chitari couldn't defeat him. But the map of the Los Angeles freeway system forced Steve Rogers to surrender. He called Pepper Potts and begged for help.

She laughed sympathetically. "Even native Californians get confused sometimes," she reassured him. "Where do you want to go?"

"Disneyland," Steve answered. "Everyone has said I should go there. And I really liked Mickey Mouse when I was a kid."

Pepper's mind boggled to realize Mickey had been around that long.

Steve had continued to talk about the genius of Disney — the first cartoon with sound, the first full-length animated feature.

He paused. "Maybe that sounds silly for a grown adult," he said, abashed.

Pepper quickly reassured him. "There are many, many adults who feel like that. You'll see when you go to Disneyland, but you can't go today. It's already after noon. You'll want to spend a whole day, and even then you won't see everything."

"Then I guess I need someplace to stay the night," Steve said.

"I can help you with that, too," Pepper promised. She gave Steve directions.

He took a deep breath before firing up his motorcycle and heading for the nearest freeway onramp. Fortunately, Pepper's directions were clear and the freeway signs were easy to follow — easier than a lot of surface streets.

But Steve began to wonder where Pepper's directions were taking him, when he passed through Los Angeles and headed for the coast. He wound up in a residential area so ritzy, he couldn't see any houses, just gates blocking long driveways.

When he found his address — 10880 Malibu Point — he found just such a gate with "Stark" worked into the wrought iron. Steve was about to dismount to press the intercom button, but the gate swung open.

"Welcome, Captain Rogers," a familiar voice said.

"Jarvis? You're here in California, too?" Steve exclaimed, then felt like an idiot. Anyone could have gotten to California in the time he'd meandered across the country.

"Of course, captain," Jarvis answered. "I am wherever sir needs me."

The front door opened when Steve stopped on the circular driveway. "Surprise!" Pepper said.

"You're here, too!"

"I had business here and Tony needed to get away from New York."

Steve heard anxiety in Pepper's voice. "Nightmares?" he asked gently, because he'd had a few himself.

Pepper nodded once, but didn't expand on Tony's anxiety attacks and flashbacks. It wasn't her place to tell virtual strangers, and Steve understood that.

"Should I leave?" Steve asked, because his presence could only remind Tony of the battle.

"No," Pepper said instantly. She put her hand on his arm as if to prevent him from drawing away. "No, Tony — both of us — could use a distraction. Just don't mention New York. Talk about your travels. He's been following you, you know."

* * *

"Tony! We have a visitor," Pepper said a little too brightly.

Tony looked up fro his work and flinched when he saw his fellow Avenger. Steve would have been hurt if Pepper hadn't warned him. The perceptive Super Soldier discerned many sleepless nights in the dark bags under Tony's eyes.

"Hi, Tony," Steve said, trying to put his friend at ease. "I didn't mean to bother you. Pepper tricked me. Instead of giving me directions to a hotel, she led me here."

"There's no point in you paying for a hotel room when we have all this space," Pepper scolded. "And you certainly can't go to Disneyland tonight."

"No, it's too late. You wouldn't have time to see anything," Tony agreed, relaxing when the conversation stayed firmly away from New York. "And you can't go tomorrow, either. The weekend is too crowded." Tony hesitated. "It is still Friday, right?" he asked with more anxiety than Cap expected from the brash billionaire.

"Indeed, sir, well done," Jarvis said dryly.

"I don't need sass from you, J," Tony said, pointing a screwdriver at the nearest speaker. And yet he seemed heartened by the snark. He began to look more like the self-assured engineer Steve remembered from New York.

He even offered his hand to the Super Soldier.

Steve had been carrying his motorcycle helmet under his right arm, to give Tony an excuse for not shaking hands, but he gladly shifted the helmet and gripped the outstretched hand warmly. When Tony shook his hand after Thor took Loki back to Asgard, Steve had seen it as a gesture of reconciliation for their arguments on the helicarrier. He only learned later that Tony didn't like being handed things or shaking hands. This was truly a gift of trust for Tony to offer his hand, and Steve took it gladly and with no small relief. He didn't have many friends these days and he would have hated to lose one.

Pepper was relieved, too.

"And I didn't miss date night!" Tony told Pepper triumphantly.

"You haven't missed it … yet," Pepper said, pointedly looking from Tony's greased-stained, tattered T-shirt to her summery cocktail dress.

Steve looked more alarmed than Tony. "I shouldn't intrude," he said, embarrassed to disrupt the couple's alone time.

"Nonsense," Pepper said briskly. "We'll all have dinner together and make plans for your visit; then you can go to your room and rest — you must be tired after that long ride — and Tony and I can have date night."

The smoldering look she gave Tony promised more than dinner and a movie, and made Steve flush bright red.

Tony laughed, seeming fully restored to his cocky self. "Watch out, Pep, you're offending the captain's virginal ears."

Steve's blush seemed to grow darker.

"They should have gotten one of your show girls to whisper sweet nothings over the radio. You'd have never frozen with a blush like that."

"Tony!" Pepper exclaimed, but Steve just laughed.

"If it happens again, you have my permission to try it," Steve said. "I'd rather be embarrassed than frozen again."

Tony clapped him on the shoulder and the men went to clean up before dinner.

* * *

Pepper had seen Steve eat before, so she made sure to put the lion's share of food on his plate, with the serving platters close enough for him to reach. Steve was embarrassed again — he hated to seem greedy. Pepper told him to eat as much as he wanted.

"There's more in the kitchen," she said, then she asked about Steve's road trip.

"I enjoyed seeing the Mississippi and the Grand Canyon," Steve said. "Those were both on my list."

"List?" Pepper asked politely.

Steve pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket.

Tony boggled. "You have an actual list — on dead trees! That's so old school!"

Steve was unashamed. "No one's more old school than I am," he pointed out.

"Point," Tony agreed, as he perused the small document.

"It started with things I always wanted to do … before the war," Steve said. "Then I've been adding things that people tell me I should do now."

"Like see Disneyland," Pepper said.

"Yes."

Tony saw that "Grand Canyon" and "Mississippi River" were crossed out as accomplished. He smiled at another entry. "We can take care of one of these right now," he said. "Jarvis, open the blinds."

The blinds began to retract, letting in blazing orange light. It drew Steve to his feet, before he realized that would be impolite, but Pepper and Tony followed him instantly.

"There you go, sunset over the Pacific," Tony said with a ringmaster's gesture toward the view.

With all the estates blocking the view from the road, Steve hadn't realized how close he was to the shore. The Malibu house sat on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. The setting sun turned the waves shades of orange and gold, while wispy pink clouds floated above. A flotilla of sailboats cruised past and a blue and yellow speedboat zoomed by towing a rainbow-colored parasail.

Steve's fingers twitched. He wished he had his sketchpad and tried to memorize every color for later drawing. When the brightest shades began fading into lavender and gray, Steve turned away from the window with a satisfied sigh. Without a word, he took the notebook out of Tony's hand and crossed out the notation "Sunset over the Pacific Ocean."

"That was beautiful. Thanks," Steve said. "But I should let you two get to date night."

"But we haven't talked about Disneyland," Pepper protested.

"Tomorrow will do, if I'm staying over."

"Oh, you're staying," Tony said. "Pepper has plans for you. She didn't get to be CEO by taking 'no' for an answer."

Steve left his hosts to their romancing. He went back to his room and got out his colored pencils.

* * *

The next morning, Pepper told Steve she was going to call Disneyland so he could get a personally guided tour.

"But I don't want special treatment," Steve protested.

"That doesn't matter. You need special treatment," Tony argued. "More importantly, the park needs to give you special treatment. Look, suppose you're standing in line at the Matterhorn and someone recognizes you. I know you're not flaunting your identity, but it's not exactly a secret, either. You were in all the history books."

"Sometimes people recognize me," Steve agreed.

"So, you're standing in line and a fan girl sees you and starts squealing," Tony said.

"Fan girl?" Steve mouthed at Pepper, who covered her smile.

"She runs over," Tony continued. "Suddenly people are swarming you, taking selfies, knocking grandmas to the ground and trampling small children, all the while blocking the entrance to the ride. It would be chaos. Disneyland hates chaos," he said firmly.

The reserved soldier paled. "Maybe I shouldn't go," he said.

"No, you can't live your life like that," Pepper said firmly. "You just have to take precautions."

"But I don't like special treatment," Steve whined. "It makes me feel like I'm taking money under false pretenses."

"Maybe we could trade," Pepper mused. "You could earn your favors."

"They have a parade," Tony suggested. "The Park visitors would love to see Cap in person."

"And he could spend some time — a designated amount of time — signing autographs and taking pictures with fans," Pepper said.

"Just like Snow White and Mickey Mouse," Tony chuckled. "But not all day. He needs to have some free time to ride the rides and have some fun. That's the whole point!"

"A couple hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon. Indoors, in the hottest part of the day," Pepper suggested.

"Yeah, at Innoventions. We already have a Stark Industries display there, so it's perfect. Indoors, in the air conditioning, out of the smog. Anaheim can be uncomfortable in the summer," Tony confided to Steve.

"Though the weather report for next week is good," Pepper said. "So, trade a personal appearance for celebrity treatment."

"Cuts to the front of all the lines," Tony said in satisfaction. If there was one thing he hated, it was waiting.

"Still sounds like cheating," Steve grumbled.

"It's not cheating. It's necessary," Tony insisted, as Pepper called the Disneyland PR chief's personal cellphone. She knew he'd want to get right on this, even though it was Saturday. Even Disney execs didn't get a chance to meet Captain America every day. In fact, none of them had met Steve, so he'd be the first!

Bemused, Steve sat back and listened to his friends arrange his vacation — arrange his life — for him. It was funny. He'd taken his road trip to find himself, to learn about this new Buck Rogers future world that Steve Rogers had ended up in. And what he'd found was the same thing he'd left behind — good friends.

He blinked moisture away. Drat, he was making himself teary-eyed. Maybe Tony noticed, because he turned away from kibitzing Pepper's phone call.

"So there's a couple things I should warn you about. They might shock an old geezer like you," Tony said. "First, there's security going in. There's security everywhere since 9/11."

Steve nodded.

"Then there's the crowd," Tony said. "Like Times Square at New Year sometimes."

Steve nodded again.

"But the worst thing, the thing everyone complains about — are the prices!"

And then he began telling Steve horror stories about $3 cups of coffee and $6 ice cream sodas! Steve, who remembered 5-cent Cokes and full meals that cost less than $1, was aghast. Tony nodded sagely.

"Yeah, sometimes they even shock me," the billionaire said.

* * *

_A/N: I got my picture taken with Captain America twice at Innoventions at Disneyland. Inventions is closed now. But one rumor says it may be all Star Wars and Marvel meet and greets when it reopens in November._


End file.
